Like it or not, John D. Lee is part of area’s history

Some names in history seem to cause the blood to boil, to stir emotions and serve as the catalyst for arguments. One person in Southern Utah lore is John D. Lee.

Lee is best known for his role in the Mountain Meadow Massacre, an atrocious act in which approximately 120 men, women and children were killed as they traveled from Arkansas to California. The wagon train was approached under a flag of truce, and the travelers were convinced to give up their guns. Then, on Sept. 11, 1857, the group led by Lee attacked. Only 17 children too young to be able to talk about what happened were spared. The other men, women and children were slain.

This incident is memorialized in the peaceful meadow about 30 miles north of St. George and 35 miles southwest of Cedar City along State Route 18 in Washington County. As a person stands at the memorial and looks across the meadow, it’s fairly easy to visualize a wagon train moving slowly across the tall grasses.

This incident recently came to the forefront of debate again when the Washington City Council voted unanimously not to allow a statue of Lee to be put on display. It was a decision certain to make some people happy and to upset others.

History is messy. Sometimes, people who do terrible things also do honorable things. Lee is an example, though to a grander scale than most on both extremes.

Lee undoubtedly led the attack on the Baker-Fancher wagon train. After the incident, Lee became the focus of the atrocity. He was convicted and executed for his crime.

However, prior to becoming known for the attack on the Baker-Fancher wagon train, Lee helped found Fort Harmony, Washington City and played a role in many other advancements of white settlers in Southern Utah. It is for one of those noble acts — the founding of Washington City — that Lee first was considered to be honored 10 years ago when the other statues were put on display.

Lee’s statue was deemed to be too controversial then, and it appears to be too controversial now.

History is just that, history. It can be pleasant. It can be horrible. We can either hide from it or face it. I usually choose the latter, and that’s why I would have no problem with Lee’s statue being on display — with one caveat.

The museum should add a placard with each person’s likeness explaining who that person was and what he or she did to deserve such an honor. The one associated with Lee should include his efforts to found the area, as well as his role in the massacre. If we’re truly remembering history, then we have to acknowledge the bad along with the good.

Doing so allows Washington City to honor a man who helped found the town while also holding his memory accountable for his actions. And it shows the area truly is willing to move on by not hiding its past — even the deepest, darkest moments.

Contact Todd Seifert at 674-6235, or via email at tseifert@thespectrum.com. Follow him on Twitter, @ToddSeifert.